ROAD RUNNING
“ I ’ d like to get into the low 2:20s in the marathon , and if things keep going well and I can keep improving , then I believe I can get to at least a 2:22 .” it a focus event in October – so perhaps an earlier Comrades would be better . The fact that they are so close to each other is not ideal , I think .
MA : What about the World Championships in July this year ? If selected , will you go ?
GS : Yes , I would like to go , because I ’ ve never been to the World Champs before . I had the chance to go to the 2019 World Champs in Doha , but I was also invited to run the New York Marathon , so again , I had to make a tough decision . And this year I also have a tough decision between the World Champs and the Commonwealth games , which are just two weeks apart . The World Champs is the bigger event , but the Commonwealth Games is still big , and I could be a contender for a medal in the Commonwealth marathon . At the end of the day , a medal at Commonwealth Games would mean more to me than just participating in the World Champs , so that ’ s already a difficult choice .
Again , this is why I am not yet sure of my plans for the rest of this year , but I don ’ t feel any pressure to make any specific decisions . I just don ’ t want to one day look back with regrets . To be honest , ever since I started running , this has always been the issue … will she run the ultras , or focus on the marathons ? Is it this race , or that race ? I can honestly say that up to this point , I have no regrets . Last year I had to make the decision whether to run Cape Town or New York … money-wise , the two races were very similar , so I just had to make the call , and I chose Cape Town . I can admit it now , I was worried before Cape Town that I may regret my choice , but after that run , I just knew it was the right decision , even when I was watching the New York Marathon . So , even though it is getting close to the time I need to make a decision about the rest of this year , it ’ s not worrying me . I just see it as a business decision .
MA : This must be a ‘ good problem to have ,’ so to say , because after two years of COVID , you ’ re probably just happy to have options for racing ?
GS : Absolutely ! It feels like the opposite of two years ago , when I had no options , and I had to do everything in my power just to get to the start line of any race . Worrying about injury or illness is a much bigger concern than having to choose between any two races !
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